Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven // She did it again <3

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
Genres: Coming of Age (YA), Contemporary (YA), Disability, Mental Health, Romance (YA)
Pages: 400
Goodreads

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can’t recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He’s the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything, but he can’t understand what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don’t get too close to anyone.
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game—which lands them in group counseling and community service—Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel. Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.

After reading some reviews on how Niven handles her characters and stories, I feel the need to defend her (which I’ve literally never done and I’m not saying you have to like her, I’m just offering some insight into her characters).

Both this book and All the Bright Places are based on her life experiences. So, when I see someone say “she doesn’t know enough to write about this”, I kind of cringe a little inside. Her family member has Prosopagnosia, she dealt with weight issues and bullying when she was younger, she’s lost both of her parents (I know one of them was to cancer), her boyfriend committed suicide — her books are about these experiences. She may dramatize certain things and have a romantic plot, but it is a book that needs to both entertain and portray a message at the end of the day. Also, maybe that is how she best deals with the things she’s gone through in life.

So, with that said, this book is adorable. Two people who struggle with something that makes them feel left out in the world try to navigate high school and lean on each other. It’s heartwarming and sweet. It tugs at your heartstrings in a totally different way than All The Bright Places.

I actually enjoyed Jack’s character more than Libby’s. Jack brings a little more humor to the story, and it was interesting to read about how he navigates through high school with Prosopagnosia. Sometimes he would get himself in a predicament that had me going oh god, oh god, no, that can’t happen, because it was just such shitty luck for him. He was also a character that felt the need to be a jerk when really he wasn’t, so I liked experiencing his struggles and development with that.

As for Libby, I had a hard time connecting with her. She wasn’t a terrible character, she was just very “here’s me on my high horse” quite often. Yet, at the same time, she was always very self-pitying. For example, here’s a quote from the book:

“I’m Libby Strout, America’s Fattest Teen, maybe the World’s Saddest Teen, alone in her room with her cat…”

There were several lines like that and they caused me to become very disconnected from her. Also, she danced so much and it was just something that always threw me off in the story because it was so random.

I always love Niven’s writing. She writes with this beautiful balance that I feel like calling casual poeticism. Which isn’t a thing — I don’t think — but it’s the best way I can describe her writing. There are always great self-reflecting monologues that are also written in a very laid back way. It makes her books fast and fun to read.

Also, Supernatural references within 100 pages of the book. Just sayin’.

I’m adding this section in after I’ve already reviewed this book. After some thought, I realized I should have included it in the first place. While I give credit to Niven for having a plus-size female character and a – I forget now but either – a bi-racial or POC male character as both the leading roles. I do criticize how she included other representation in the secondary characters. There was a possibly trans character, an immigrant (I forgot from where now), a lesbian character, and probably a few other minorities represented as secondary characters. However, it sometimes felt like it was just thrown in to be inclusive without actually creating a good representation of it.

I loved it. Even though I didn’t connect to Libby, Jack made up for that. I also enjoyed the story between the two of them. Although I wish there was less dancing (GASP! Who says that?!) I always love Niven’s writing — she, once again, did a fantastic job taking such serious topics and turning it into a book that is both heartwarming and entertaining. If you aren’t sold on Niven and her YA books, try to take into account her own personal experiences and how they translate in them. If you’re still not feeling it, that’s okay!

Rating Report
Plot
Characters
Writing
World Building
Romance
Overall:	5 / 5